Skidmore College

The 32nd Annual Fox-Adler Lecture: Why We Need Krazy Kat

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On September 21, New Orleans-based Michael Tisserand will deliver “Why We Need Krazy Kat.” Tisserand is the author of Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White (2016), the first full-length biography of a cartoonist who lived his life on America’s color line; Herriman was of African-American descent, but his family hid their racial identity. Tisserand will examine Herriman’s insights into American culture through the comic strip, sharing original research into Herriman’s family history.

The Fox-Adler Lecture series was founded in 1991 as a “town and gown” event to celebrate the relationship between nineteenth-century literature and art. The series commemorates the Norman M. Fox Collection, which features approximately 400 books by prominent Victorian authors and illustrators. Housed in Special Collections in the Lucy Scribner Library, the Fox Collection has fostered scholarship and played an integral part in students’ learning in courses and independent academic work.

Each year, a distinguished scholar or practicing artist comes to campus to share insights into the creation, history, culture, and/or theoretical significance of illustrated works ranging from books and magazines for adults to children’s literature. The website preserves the history of this lecture and book collection by including biographies of each “Fox-Adler Lecturer” and information on the lectures themselves.

Norman Fox (1919-2016), a renaissance man with a passion for rare books and first-day covers, originated the lecture series that continues today as an established named lecture annually attended by students and faculty of Skidmore College and members of the larger Saratoga Springs community. This event, generously endowed by the Fox family, provides a yearly opportunity to hear an outstanding lecturer speak on a topic enlightening to literature lovers of all ages.